The diminishing availability of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, as a primary energy source has spurred the development of systems utilizing alternate energy sources. Among these are solar radiation, nuclear power, wind energy, geothermic sources and even tidal currents. Much attention is now being directed to solar energy and may systems utilizing same are already availabe to businesses and homeowners. For many areas of the United States solar heating systems must be supplemented by conventional heating means because of inefficient heat transfer and heat storage and limited availability of sunlight; nevertheless, great success has been achieved in the use of solar energy for providing hot water, heating swimming pools and providing a moderate amount of heating and cooling for homes and buildings. However, there is a need of simplifying and improving the solar heat gathering components, to facilitate assembling, as well as making repairs in case a leak develops, and it is to this end that the present invention is directed.
As is generally true with new technological developments, most current solar energy systems are beyond the assembling capability and technical knowledge as well as the financial resources of average homeowners because of initial production costs, research, development, and assembly expenses. In addition to the cost factor, the complexity of most available solar systems necessitates installation by personnel skilled in this field. On the other hand, with my improvements, highly trained solar heat specialists are not needed to install same, but rather ordinary mechanics and plumbers can handle the whole assembly and installation procedure. Another disadvantage encountered with a complex solar panel assembled in the factory and shipped to a job site for installation, has been that there is danger of damage to the panel in transit and loosening of connectors ultimately resulting in leakage. Also, once a solar panel system is installed it may be desirable to add to the system, should increased capacity or building enlargement be called for. To prevent water infiltration into the spaces between abutting panels, a positive seal is needed between adjoining sections to forestall this leakage, as well as possible corrosion and loss of efficiency.